Top tips for entering the 2026 CRN Channel Awards Australia

Entries for the CRN Channel Awards Australia close May 29.

Entries for the inaugural CRN Channel Awards Australia are still open, where we celebrate the hard work done by partners, distributors and vendors in the year prior.

This year we have 30 (yes, 30!) categories for everyone in the IT channel.

If you’re a vendor specialising in AI and automation, an ISV, a network distributor or a young gun in the channel industry, we have a category for you.

See further down for the full list.

But, how do you stand out from your competitors?

For those who are considering applying or in the throes of application anxiety, here are some top tips for applying in this year's awards.

Make it Personal

This is your time to shine and show off who you are. This is not the time for corporate speak or marketing fluff, we want to see personality in these submissions.

When writing your 1000 words or filming your five minute submission, pretend that you are speaking directly to the judges.

Making your entry engaging, the judges wouldn’t mind a bit of humour either.

The judges will be going through many applications, so we suggest standing out will be your best bet.

Looks are important

When writing your submission think about how your entry will look visually to the judges.

Long, dense blocks of text aren’t reader-friendly.

We also recommend not copying and pasting corporate text. Remember to use spacing and formatting to make it easier to consume.

Relevance

Relevance is key. When you’re submitting your entry, please make sure that it fits the criteria and the category.

If you’re a vendor, please don’t enter a distributor or partner category or vice versa.

If you’re writing about a product, focus on its benefits to customers or partners—not just specs. Every entry needs to show how it adds value to the channel or end customer.

Originality

If you want to enter several awards categories, by all means go ahead. However, we would recommend to not copy and paste the same entry for each category. Be original for each entry.

It looks lazy and won’t go down well with the judges.

What do your customers think?

Testimonials are mandatory for each and every entry.

For partners, get your testimonials from customers, distributors, or vendors. For disties, ask resellers or vendors.

For vendors, get your testimonials from disties and partners.

Keep them short, relevant, and free of marketing speak. Missing testimonials may cost you a spot on the shortlist—or even a trophy.

CRN Channel Awards Australia Categories

Vendors

AI and Automation Vendor of the Year

Channel Leader of the Year

Cloud Vendor of the Year

Emerging Vendor of the Year

Network Vendor of the Year

Security Vendor of the Year

Storage Vendor of the Year

Vendor of the Year

Distributors

Cloud Distributor of the Year

Distributor of the Year

Infrastructure Distributor of the Year

Network Distributor of the Year

Security Distributor of the Year

Storage Distributor of the Year

Partners

Best Community/IT Network of the Year

MSP of the Year

ISV of the Year

Solution Provider of the Year

Solution Provider Innovation/Project of the Year

MSSP of the Year

All IT companies

AI Initiative of the Year

Best Young Professional Initiative

Channel Service Provider of the Year

ESG Achievement Award

Role Model of the Year

Security Initiative of the Year

Marketplace of the Year

Start-up of the Year (Founded post-2020)

Woman of the Year

Apply for the CRN Channel Awards Australia now.

Applications close Friday May 29!